Essential Tibet
Use code BONUS10 to get an extra 10% off all tours — for a limited time only. T&Cs apply
From AUD $4454 Was AUD $4949
Small Group
Average
Rating
(3 reviews)
Essential Tibet
Use code BONUS10 to get an extra 10% off all tours — for a limited time only. T&Cs apply
12 days
Small Group
Budget
Average
English
Experience Overview
From the sacred peaks of Tibet to the cultural hub of Kathmandu, explore overland the best of the Himalayas on this 12-day tour.
Includes
Activities
- Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group Your Foodie Moment: Tibetan Cooking Class, Lhasa Your Local Living Moment: Everest Base Camp Yak Hair Tent, Everest Base Camp
- Orientation walk in Lhasa, Durbar Square
- Gyantse, Jokhang Temple Tour
- Barkhor Square Orientation Walk
- Tibetan Cooking Class
- Potala Palace Tour
- Sera Monastery Tour
- Pelkor Chode Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum Visit
- Tashilhunpo Monastery Visit
- Sakya Monastery Visit
- Rongbuk Monastery
- Everest Viewpoint
- Everest Base Camp Yak Hair Tent
- Border crossing to Nepal
- Bhaktapur Excursion
Accommodation
- Nomadic tent (1 night), hotel (10 nights).
- 1 dinner
Transport
- Train, private vehicle, walking, plane.
Group Leader
- One CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout China and Tibet. You will have a Nepalese CEO in Nepal.
Highlights
- Stay in a Yak hair tent
- Traditional to nomadic Tibetans
- With an incredible view of Mt. Everest
- Explore Lhasa and take a tour of the famed Potala Palace
- Witness Tibetan Monks debate at the Sera Monestary.
Trip Details
12 days
Train, private vehicle, walking, plane.
English
Chengdu, China
Kathmandu, Nepal
Budget
Classic, Budget
Average
Itinerary
Day 1: Chengdu
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.Accommodation - Celebrity Ruicheng Hotel
Day 2: Chengdu/Lhasa
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Join your CEO for an orientation walk around Lhasa.Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Accommodation - Lhasa Banak Shol Hotel
Day 3: Lhasa
Meals included: Dinner
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Explore the square with your CEO and learn more about this city.Activity - Join your group for a local Tibetan cooking class. Make delicious, local dumplings called momos. Then sit together and enjoy your yummy creations!Activity - Enjoy a tour of this beautiful temple, which has been called the spiritual heart of Tibet. Watch prostrating pilgrims circle the temple day and night, some of them traversing the extremes of the Tibetan landscape by foot to come here and celebrate their faith. Make a kora ("revolution" in Tibetan) of the Barkhor, the holiest devotional circuit, which surrounds the Jokhang and houses a market bazaar where people bargain for Buddha images, yak skulls with ruby eyes, woodcarvings, carpets, prayer wheels, and the odd goat's head.Accommodation - Lhasa Banak Shol Hotel
Day 4: Lhasa
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Enjoy a tour of Potala Palace, a magnificent structure and true architectural wonder built in the 1600s and steeped in history. This is where the Dalai Lamas would meditate, handle affairs of state, and eventually where their burial stupas remain. Check out the golden statues, three dimensional mandalas, ancient scriptures, and the devoted pilgrims who circle the palace day and night. This is truly a remarkable place.Activity - Visit the Sera Monastery and witness the monks engaged in lively debate, a philosophical practice they have held for hundreds of years. Accommodation - Lhasa Banak Shol Hotel
Day 5: Lhasa/Gyantse
As you make your way from Lhasa to Gyantse, make a few important stops along the way. First, visit Yamdrok Lake, a stunning freshwater blue lake thought to be part of a sacred group of four lakes guarded by a local deity. Then, drive through Karola Pass en route to Karola glacier where you will stop to admire the view of the Tibetan stupa flanked by glacial mountains all around. Arrive to Gyantse and if you have steam left, join your CEO to hike to the Gyantse Fortress for a birds-eye view of the area.
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Get your bearings of Gyantse on CEO led orientation walk.Accommodation - Gyangtse Yutok Hotel
Day 6: Gyantse/Shigatse
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Enjoy a visit to these two significant places in Tibetan Buddhism. Pelkor Chode Monastery was founded in 1418 and is regarded as the centre of Gyantse. Gyantse Kumbum (meaning 100,000 images) is an 8 story structure containing a seemingly endless series of tiny chapels full of Buddhist images – Buddhas, demons, protectors, and saints.Activity - This massive complex is visited daily by hundreds of devotees, armed with yak butter to feed the lamps, who prostrate themselves around the stupas or walk up to the chapel that houses the 26m-high (85ft), gold-plated statue of the Maitreya (future) Buddha.Accommodation - Gesar Hotel
Day 7: Shigatse/Sakya
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Take in the stunning views of one of Tibet's oldest monasteries and surrounding landscape.Accommodation - Luowa Hotel
Day 8: Sakya/Everest Base Camp
Please note that the yak hair tents are closed for the winter (October-Early April). Everest Base Camp area may also close without warning due to bad weather, political issues, natural disasters, etc. If we do not stay in the tented camp, we will stay in a local guesthouse with an incredible view of the Himalayas on a clear day.
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Enjoy a visit to Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. It was first built in 1902 by the Nyingma Lama and originally housed more than 500 monks. Today, only about 50 monks and nuns remain, sharing the same prayer hall but maintaining separate residences. The nuns here are great fun and will be delighted to have you join their evening prayers.Activity - Take a short hike up to an Everest viewpoint about 2.2km away from Everest Basecamp. Even though the viewpoint isn't from the Basecamp, it doesn't mean the views will be any less breathtaking. Pack some water and your camera and get hiking for a tiny taste of what it's like to scale this magnificent mountain.Activity - At the foot of Mt Everest, stay in a tent similar to those of nomadic Tibetan people. From a tent made completely on yak hair, take in the breathtaking view of Mt Everest.Accommodation - Rongbuk Tent Guesthouse
Day 9: Everest Base Camp/Kyirong
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Take an orientation walk of Kyirong town, 2400 m above sea level.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Kyirong Shell Hotel
Day 10: Kyirong/Kathmandu
Prepare for another beautiful driving day on your way to Nepal. Cross high mountain passes amongst fluttering prayer flags, enjoy jaw dropping views of the Himalayan range, stunning lakes and forest, then begin to descend in altitude towards lush, green Nepal. After immigration, cross the bridge joining Tibet and Nepal by foot. Jump in the vehicle and make the winding, bumpy, yet extremely scenic drive to Kathmandu.
Kyirong-Rasuwa is the main customs border crossing between Tibet and Nepal, for tourists and for commercial purpose. As such, it can be quite busy and there can be long wait times.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Hotel Traditional Comfort
Day 11: Kathmandu
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Every orientation walk will be a little different, allowing our CEOs to show off their favourite bits of the square. Learn more about Durbar Square and Kathmandu and get a good introduction to Nepal.Activity - Visit this unique old town known as the City of Devotees. Explore Hindu temples, pagodas, palaces, and monuments, including the beautiful wood-carved palace in Durbar Square. You can pick up clay pots and other souvenirs in the colourful open markets and taste home made yogurt, known as khopa dhau, which Bhaktapur is famous for.Accommodation - Hotel Traditional Comfort
Day 12: Kathmandu
- Flights to and from origin and destinations
- Airport transfers (unless otherwise stated)
- Anything else not explicitly listed in tour inclusions
- Recommended gratuities/tipping
- Optional activities/tours
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- Visas, meals and beverages not stated in the list of inclusions.
When meals are not included, your tour leader (where available) will be happy to help with restaurant recommendations, bookings, and directions. Please let us know if you have any dietary needs or preferences. We will do our best to accommodate these, though we cannot guarantee that every request can be met.
You are responsible for your personal belongings throughout the tour. You will need to carry your own bags between the vehicle and your hotel room. Drivers will assist with loading and unloading luggage from the vehicle.
Travellers requiring wheelchair access should contact our sales and service team, who can make enquiries on your behalf.
This tour requires an average level of fitness. Activities are paced gently and include leisure time. You may be expected to join guided walks of up to one hour, navigate short stairways and mild inclines, and manage your own luggage. You should also be able to board and exit all transport without assistance.
Travellers are expected to be self-sufficient and capable of handling all aspects of their journey. Please discuss your circumstances and support needs with your booking agent to confirm this trip is suitable.
If you are unsure, we recommend consulting your doctor before booking or travelling.
If a planned site visit is unavailable due to changes in operating hours or holiday closures, the itinerary may be altered, or a comparable activity will be substituted where possible and subject to availability.
Visa conditions can change. Once you receive your travel documents, check with the relevant embassy, consulate, or immigration office of your destination for the latest information.
- It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct and valid travel documents and to comply with all entry requirements.
- Non-Australian citizens must also confirm visa and identification requirements with the appropriate consulate or visa agency.
- Certain occupations (for example, journalists, government officials, or those working in charities) may face additional restrictions when applying for visas, which could affect the type of application required.
From
AUD $4949
Duration: 12 days
Trip Type: Small Group
Activity Level: Average
From the sacred peaks of Tibet to the cultural hub of Kathmandu, explore overland the best of the Himalayas on this 12-day tour.
Price based on per person in Double Room for departure 26 Jun 2026
Customer Reviews
06/02/2024
best tour ive ever had. great people, great trip. amazing guides.
05/30/2024
Interaction with local citizens was very sincere and authentic giving the visitor a true picture of the reality of their lifestyle. Observing such foreign customs enabled the acceptance of the differences between local and visitor reinforcing the human ...
Tour Operator
G Adventures, founded in 1990 by Bruce Poon Tip, is a global adventure travel company specializing in small-group tours that emphasize authentic, sustainable, and culturally immersive experiences. Originally launched as GAP Adventures (“Great Adventure People”), the company pioneered the concept of community-driven travel by offering affordable trips that connect travelers with local communities while minimizing environmental impact. Today, G Adventures operates in more than 100 countries, offering a wide range of itineraries across themes such as active adventures, wildlife, wellness, family, and National Geographic–partnered tours, while maintaining a strong commitment to responsible tourism and social enterprise through its Planeterra Foundation.
In Business Since 1990
06/02/2024
best tour ive ever had. great people, great trip. amazing guides.
05/30/2024
Interaction with local citizens was very sincere and authentic giving the visitor a true picture of the reality of their lifestyle. Observing such foreign customs enabled the acceptance of the differences between local and visitor reinforcing the human ...
12/15/2019
Good value for money and the guide was on point. Would definitely use them again as an option for budget travel. China would likely have been difficult and beat and undoable without a tour (and I am a fairly a seasoned traveler)
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